Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - May 23, 2025
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Los Angeles City Council Regular Meeting - May 23, 2025
On Friday, May 23, 2025, the Los Angeles City Council convened for a regular meeting. The session included presentations honoring academic champions, military service members, and community health leaders, as well as votes on consent calendar items, budget-related layoff avoidance plans, and other routine business. Public comment addressed oil drilling phase-out, hotel worker wages, charter reform, and municipal operations.
Consent Calendar
- Council approved the minutes of May 22, 2025.
- Items 1 through 4, 13, and 15 (public hearings held) were approved unanimously. Item 13, an ordinance, was initially held over but later reconsidered and approved with 14 votes in favor.
- Item 5 (layoff avoidance plan, also called the "transfer portal") was called special by Councilmember McCosker, voted on after the committee report was submitted, and approved 14-0.
- Items 6 through 12 were referred to the Budget and Finance Committee via a motion by Councilmembers Hutt and Harris-Dawson.
- Item 14 was called special by Councilmember Rodriguez and approved separately.
- Items 16 through 29 (no public hearings held) were approved 13-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Oil Drilling Phase-Out (General Public Comment): Several speakers (including Leah Yannanton, Emma Silber, Tanya Borja, Nancy Lamb) urged the council to re-adopt a stronger oil phase-out ordinance with a shorter timeline to protect frontline communities from health harms. They also requested the zoning administrator reissue an interpretation on well maintenance to regulate toxic acid operations.
- Hotel Worker Wages (Items 16, 17, 20): Speakers Shaniqua Figueroa and others argued that limited-service hotel owners (60–150 rooms) should be exempt from proposed living wage increases, stating that family-owned hotels cannot absorb the costs. They called for a $200 minimum wage for all hotel workers, linking low wages to homelessness and lack of safety.
- Reward Offer for Murder Suspect (Item 20): Brandy Harris, fiancée of murdered LADWP employee Akeem Jamal Covern, requested that the council reinstate the reward and publicize the case. Councilmember McCosker acknowledged her remarks and expressed condolences.
- Charter Reform (Items 23–27): Rob Kwan commended the appointments to the Charter Reform Commission, particularly Melinda Murray, but raised concerns about undated resignation letters required of appointees. He urged the council to respect the commission’s authority and allocate its budget. Another speaker criticized the commission’s potential lack of independence.
- Virtual Public Comment: Several commenters, including an individual identifying as “Audit LA,” demanded the council reinstate virtual public comment, arguing that the current in-person-only policy discriminates against disabled and homebound residents. The speaker threatened legal action.
- Beautification (Item 16): A speaker questioned why sanitation funding is being shifted to LAPD for street sweeping, calling the move unnecessary.
- General Public Comment: One speaker criticized the council for alleged ties to the LAPPL. Another discussed Fleet Week and the Memorial Day parade. Additional speakers thanked the council for rescinding the old oil ordinance and urged swift action.
Discussion Items
- Academic Decathlon Presentation: Councilmember Rodriguez recognized the Verdugo Hills High School Academic Decathlon team for winning the LA Unified School District regional championship, the Super Quiz Championship, fifth place in Division One at the state level, and qualifying for nationals. Team captain Irene Avinasian thanked teammates and coach Mr. Solva, who is retiring after 30 years.
- LA Fleet Week 2025: Councilmember McCosker and Park presented the eighth annual Fleet Week at the Port of Los Angeles. Rear Admiral Brad Rosen noted the USS Carl Vinson hosted over 100,000 visitors in 2024; this year ships include the USS Harper’s Ferry, USS Kidd, and Coast Guard Cutter Eagle. Carol Park (Emergency Management) highlighted collaboration with 125 agencies on disaster preparedness. Jonathan Williams challenged New York on social media to match LA’s participation. Councilmember Rodriguez announced a community event at Brand Park in Mission Hills with the Marine Corps Band.
- Dr. John Griffith Recognition: Council President Harris-Dawson honored Dr. John Griffith for 43 years of service at Kedren Community Health Center, including leading COVID-19 testing and mental health services. Congresswoman Maxine Waters praised Griffith and warned of potential federal cuts to Medicaid and CDBG funds. Dr. Griffith spoke about his vision for a “Children’s Village” integrating care for foster youth.
- Hollywood High Boys Soccer Championship: Councilmember Soto-Martinez celebrated the team’s City Section Division II title, won in penalty kicks (7-6) as the 14th seed against top seed Chavez. Coach Alan Ledesma and players recounted the underdog run with five consecutive clean sheets.
- Westchester High Boys Basketball Championship: Councilmembers Park and Hutt recognized the team’s 16th city division championship, a 65-55 win over Chatsworth. Coach DeWitt Cotton, an assistant for 32 years before becoming head coach, noted the team started 2-5 and won 15 of its last 17 games. The cheerleading squad was also honored.
Key Outcomes
- Layoff Avoidance Plan (Item 5): Approved 14-0. The plan creates a “transfer portal” to identify opportunities for employees in affected departments and layoff lists; the Personnel Committee will meet weekly.
- Charter Reform Commission Appointments (Items 23–27): Votes were not individually recorded but items were approved collectively. The commission is tasked with proposing amendments for the 2028 ballot.
- Fleet Week Events: Scheduled from May 23–26 across multiple districts, including San Pedro, Westchester, Mission Hills, and the San Fernando Valley.
- Adjourning Motions: Council adjourned in memory of Colin Blair Cruz (CD12 field deputy, died May 12, 2025, age 51), Thomas Dean Stokes (recreation director with LA Rec & Parks, died recently), and Alejandro Luna Jr. (Panorama City Chamber of Commerce leader, died May 4, 2025).
- Next Meeting: The council will reconvene on Friday, May 30, 2025, for items held over.
Meeting Transcript
Array of activities throughout the whole year. So everyone should go on the Griffith Observatory website, check out what's happening that day. There are monthly opportunities to come up at night and view this the heavens through telescopes. You can get your eye through the major observatory telescope. It's an amazing opportunity throughout the whole year, not just today. We are here in City Hall commemorating the 10 years of the Day of Religious Pluralism to honor, to acknowledge the beautiful tapestry of our faith communities, more so to reaffirm the sacredness that exists in all of humanity because that's what our city is about. Pluralism is a recognition that there are different religions. We have to go beyond just a mere recognition that yes, there are different religions. We have to go towards that genuine feeling of warm-heartedness towards each other, a genuine feeling of community, that we are all seekers of the sacred, manifesting something higher in our lives. Faith leaders do work together. And there's really the best example of what it means to be building bridges, serving the community at a greater expanse, but to do this today, it just should have flow outward and outwards. City Council uh declarations, for example, are not just something that in the vacuum and then forgotten about for 10 years now. We've tried to live this declaration to show the city of Los Angeles. We're all different pieces of mosaic. And we put together pluralistically, we make a beautiful image. It takes effort to reach across to try to understand each other more deeply and to create space for each other and making sure that we truly are paying attention and listening so that we're lifting each other up. Unfortunately, there are parts not just here in the US, but different parts of the world where we see religion as a source of violence and sectarianism when in fact religion is a source of love. And that's why this is really important. Today we are celebrating our partnership with the LA Dodgers and the Will and Carol Smith Foundation. We are um bailing our outdoor literacy corner. This provides our students with multiple opportunities to develop their love for literacy and a love for reading. And it also shows the students that reading is fun and that reading doesn't only take place inside the classroom, but reading actually can take place outdoors. All right, so we're gonna read the birds team bears, go out for the tea. Today is really special because we're partnering with Manhattan Place Elementary, and they are actually the second school this year that we're doing a literacy corner renovation when we were in the World Series. We launched our first literacy corner as part of our MLB World Series Legacy Initiative. And we did so in partnership with our catcher Will Smith and his wife, Cara, and their foundation Catching Hope. So all four organizations came together and we committed to doing three unveilings during the 2025 season, and this is the second of three. You know, the impacts that we had and how we just wanted them to enjoy reading and you know, hopefully this makes the space a little bit more enjoyable for them. Books are a gateway to knowledge and the world around us, and having this literacy corner outdoor provides our students with the opportunity to continue developing the lover reading and gaining uh multiple experiences through books. And it's also a great way to uh later students know like we have people in the community that love and care for your success. And that's why we are partnered with people like Will Smith and his foundation, just to show our students like you matter. We see you, we hear you, and you are important. Will A Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will serve as the official venues for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. LA Mayor Karen Bass made the announcement along with Councilmember Curran Price and Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The Coliseum was first hosted the Olympics in 1932, again in 1984, and in 2028, it will become the first venue in history to host the Olympic Games for a third time.lacity.gov slash press. According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, LADWP. The utility said that recently metallic balloons hitting equipment had caused five outages in one week, leaving nearly 3,000 customers without power. California law requires all metallic balloons to be anchored with a weight to prevent them from going into power lines. In addition, the LADWP advises that metallic balloons should never be released outdoors and always be deflated before discarding. Angelinos should report any incidents of metallic balloons and power lines contact by calling 1800 Dial DWP. For more information, visit LADWP News.com. Mayor Karen Bass and the Economic and Workforce Development Department invite business owners to attend the 2025 Procure LA Summit. The summit will highlight working with the city's big three the LA Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles World Airports, and the Port of Los Angeles. Attendees will gain insight into accessing capital and procurement opportunities for upcoming major events like the World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the 2028 Olympic Games. According to Procure LA, the summit will include networking with over 30 government agencies and prime vendors, training workshops, and on-site support from its team. The 2025 Procure LA Summit, working with the big three, takes place on Thursday, May 29th, beginning at 8 a.m. For more information, visit Procure LA.com. Whether sworn or civilian, Asian American representation has grown in the ranks of LA's police department. At a recent cultural celebration, the department gathered to celebrate all that makes Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month a special occasion. I'm here and honored and thrilled again to come back to MC, the LAPD AAN HPI celebration.
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